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Best Perplexity API Alternatives 2026: 8 Reviewed | AICores · AICores

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Best Perplexity API Alternatives in 2026

We reviewed 8 alternatives to Perplexity API. Pricing verified March 2026. No sponsored placements.

Why Look for Perplexity API Alternatives?

Common reasons people switch from Perplexity API:

✕Limited model customization
✕Search quality varies
✕Dependent on web sources
✕Not ideal for applications that do not need search or citation capabilities

Top 8 Alternatives to Perplexity API

DifyRecommended★ 4.9

From $59/mo · Best for Teams building LLM-powered applications who want a

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AssemblyAIRecommended★ 4.9

From $0.37/hour · Best for Developers building apps that need accurate speech

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ClerkRecommended★ 4.9

From $25/mo · Best for React and Next.js developers who want authenticati

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Cloudflare Workers AISituational★ 4.8

From $0.011/1K neurons · Best for Developers on Cloudflare who want to add AI featur

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WarpRecommended★ 4.8

From $18/user/mo · Best for Developers who want a modern terminal with AI assi

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DeepgramRecommended★ 4.8

From $0.0043/min · Best for Developers building real-time voice applications t

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VS CodeRecommended★ 4.7

free · Best for Every developer. It is free, powerful, and the eco

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LiveKitRecommended★ 4.7

From $0.004/min · Best for Developers building real-time audio/video or voice

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Dify — Best Developer Tools Alternative for Teams building LLM-powered applications

Dify is an open-source AI application development platform with visual prompt engineering, RAG pipeline, agent frameworks, and model management for building LLM-powered apps..

RecommendedFrom $59/mo★ 4.9Read full review →

AssemblyAI — Best Developer Tools Alternative for Developers building apps that need accur

AssemblyAI provides speech-to-text with 8.4% word error rate plus audio intelligence features including sentiment analysis, content moderation, PII redaction, topic detection, and speaker diarization..

RecommendedFrom $0.37/hour★ 4.9Read full review →

Clerk — Best Developer Tools Alternative for React and Next.js developers who want au

Clerk provides complete authentication with pre-built, customizable React components. It handles sign-up, sign-in, user profiles, organizations, and webhooks with minimal code..

RecommendedFrom $25/mo★ 4.9Read full review →

Perplexity API vs Top Alternatives

	Perplexity API	Dify	AssemblyAI	Clerk
Price	$0.20/1K requests	$59/mo	$0.37/hour	$25/mo
Free Tier	✕	✕	✕	✕
Rating	★ 4.7	★ 4.9	★ 4.9	★ 4.9
Verdict	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended
API	✓	✓	✓	✓

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free alternative to Perplexity API?▼

AssemblyAI is the highest-rated free alternative to Perplexity API. It offers developers building apps that need accurate speech-to-text with audio intelligence features and has a 4.9 star rating from 15 reviews.

Why do people look for Perplexity API alternatives?▼

Common reasons include: Limited model customization. Search quality varies. Perplexity API is applications that do not need search or citation capabilities.

Is Perplexity API the best developer tools tool?▼

Based on our review, Perplexity API is recommended for developers building applications needing sourced, real-time answers with citations. However, Dify may be better for teams building llm-powered applications who want a visual development platform.

What is cheaper than Perplexity API?▼

LiveKit starts at $0.004/min compared to Perplexity API at $0.20/1K requests. It has a 4.7 rating and is best for developers building real-time audio/video or voice ai.

Related Comparisons

Perplexity API vs Dify— Full Comparison →Perplexity API vs AssemblyAI— Full Comparison →Perplexity API vs Clerk— Full Comparison →

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